1 Kings 7
McGeeCHAPTER 7THEME: Solomon’s building projectsIn chapter 7 we learn that not only did Solomon build the temple, but he built his own palace, the house of the forest of Lebanon, and a palace for the daughter of Pharaoh. Also in this chapter we have details concerning the construction of the porch of the temple, the molten sea for the temple, the ten lavers of brass, and the ten golden lampstands for the temple.
1 Kings 7:1
It took seven years to build the temple, but it took almost twice that long to build his own house. It must have been a very elaborate palace.
1 Kings 7:2
Solomon also built the house of the forest of Lebanon. That was his lodge, his second house. Perhaps that is where he went on vacation. We are told that the “length thereof was an hundred cubits,” which is half the length of a football field. The breadth was fifty cubits, which is seventy-five feet. The height of it was thirty cubits; that is forty-five feet. It was built “upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.” Hiram, king of Tyre, furnished the stone and the cedars, which were the cedars of Lebanon. There are very few of those tall, graceful cedars left today. All of that country, including Palestine, has been denuded. Apparently at one time it was heavily timbered.
1 Kings 7:8
“Of the like work” indicates it was also very ornate and elaborate. He built a house for Pharaoh’s daughterhe seems to have put her in a favored position. He could not build each wife such a palace. If he had, he would have built a thousand palaces! That would have been a staggering building program, like a government housing development.
1 Kings 7:13
HIRAM, THE ARTISANThis man is Hiram, the artisan, and not Hiram, the king. He was a skilled worker in brass. He was the one who made all of the delicate pieces of statuary and the items that were made out of iron, brass, and gold. His work was highly ornamented, which is what Solomon wanted. Elaborate ornamentation is evidence of the affluent period and time of peace in which he lived. It is during an era of peace and prosperity that the arts develop. During Solomon’s reign there was peace and plenty. Now we are given more detail relative to the temple.
1 Kings 7:21
Jachin means “God shall establish,” Boaz means “in it is strength.” You will find that there are psalms which include these two concepts of strength and beauty. For example, Psa_96:6 says, “Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Strength speaks of salvationGod is able to deliver those who are His. Beauty speaks of the beauty of worship. We are to worship God in the beauty of holiness. These two pillars were prominent in the temple. Spiritually, these two pillars should be in the life of anyone who is going to worship God.
If you are going to worship God, you must have experienced the power of God in delivering you from sin. Then you can worship Him in the beauty of holiness. I see nothing wrong in having a beautiful sanctuary; I think it is quite proper. A beautiful sanctuary may be conducive to worship, but it does not always inspire worship and certainly is no substitute for worship. We worship Him in the beauty of holiness. That is, when we come into the presence of God, sense His presence, and realize our inadequacies, then we can see Him in all of His beauty and glory.
This was Isaiah’s experience when he went into the temple and saw a vision of God seated upon a throne, high, and holy, and lifted up. When Isaiah saw himself in the light of the presence of God, he saw his own uncleanness. “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isa_6:5). The pillars Jachin and Boaz speak of that which worship really isa redeemed soul who comes into the presence of a holy God. Realizing that I am no authority in the realm of music, I still insist that music which does not lift you into the presence of God is not music for the church. There is a great deal of music in the church which definitely does not prepare anyone for worship. I have discovered in my ministry and conference work that many times a musical number given by the choir or a soloist before the message is absolutely devastating and destructive to the giving out of the Word of God. We need to recognize that the worship of God is based on the fact that He is high, holy, and lifted up. Solomon also greatly enlarged the laver in the temple.
1 Kings 7:23
This huge laver was supported on twelve oxen cast in brass, three oxen looking in each direction. The brim of it was ornate with lilies. The laver was for the priests to wash in. While there was only one simple laver in the tabernacle, here we have multiplication and beautification in Solomon’s temple.
1 Kings 7:38
The purpose of these ten lavers was to cleanse such things as they offered for the burnt offering. It takes more than size and beauty to bring cleansing to the heart. There are many churches today that conduct beautiful services, yet they do not cleanse the congregation nor bring them into the presence of God. They do not refresh the soul nor bring peace and joy to the heart. All the lavers in the world cannot cleanse one from sin. It is the water in the laver that cleanses. The water represents the Word of God. To wash in the Word of God is to apply the Word to the life.
1 Kings 7:48
In the tabernacle there was one lampstand which spoke of Christ. In the temple there were ten. Again there is multiplication that has an application for us. In our contemporary society there is danger in becoming overly familiar with the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, the other day I listened to a message given on the radio in which the speaker mentioned the name of Jesus over fifty times before he was halfway through his message. To keep mentioning His name over and over is like multiplying lampstands.
Also I heard a man say the other day that he was going to come into the presence of Jesus and sit down and talk with Him. Maybe he will; I don’t know. But the Bible does not suggest such familiarity with the glorified Christ. A man who was very familiar with Him when He was here on earthwho rebuked Him and made suggestions to Him, and reclined on His bosom in the upper roomwas John. He was very familiar with Him in the days of His flesh. But John writes of his reaction when he sees the glorified Christ in these terms: “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead …” (Rev_1:17).
I think that is where you and I are going to be when we come into Christ’s presence. My friend, let’s not keep multiplying lampstands, becoming overly familiar with Him. He is the One whom we worship and adore. He is the One before whom we fall down upon our faces.